Sprinkler type package



Nov. 3, 1964 R. R. LEBLANC 3,155,282

SPRINKLER TYPE PACKAGE Filed May 9, 1965 INVENTOR. firm/0N0 R1551 A/VC 147' TOW/146V United States Patent O This invention pertains to dispensing packages for finely divided granular material useful for dispensing pepper or salt served with meals on airplanes or the like.

One object of this invention is to provide a dispensing package which can be readily produced in a strip package machine of the character, for example, shown and described in Stroop Patent No. 3,054,236, issued September 18, 1962, which accordingly can be produced at low cost and which at the same time will occupy very small space for shipment and can be readily handled by the user.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the following specification and claims:

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation with one side broken away to show the interior of a dispensing package embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation showing -a complete package but with the top partially torn away to illustrate how the package is made ready for use.

FIGURE 4 is a partially sectional elevation which illustrates the package in use after the top edge has been removed completely.

FIGURE 5 is an elevation of a modified form of package Which also embodies this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the package here shown comprises side strips and 11 which may be made of plastic material and may be transparent, if desired.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the package contains a bulk of granular material 12, such as table salt or pepper, and the dispensing package may be formed and filled on a strip packaging machine such as shown in FIGURE 5 of the Stroop patent above referred to. The sheets 10 and 11 are sealed on all four sides as the package is produced. The sheets are preferably made of thermoplastic material in the usual manner. The interior of the package at the dispensing end is provided with spaced projections 14 which may be formed in several different ways. For example, a notched insert 13 may be introduced between the plastic sheets 10 and 11, and it may be sealed into the package so that it will have the appearance shown in FIGURE 1, if the sheet 10 is partially removed.

In actual use the upper end of the package will be torn oil at the tear nicks 15, the tearing operation being shown in FIGURE 3, and the result after the top is torn off is shown in FIGURE 4. The projections 14 in the finished package are spaced and form pockets 16 from which the salt or other material may be readily dispensed by a sprinkling operation.

Referring to FIGURE 5, the package is similar to that illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4, but the sealing dies of the strip package machine on which the packages are produced are arranged with longitudinal indentations which form seals 20 on all four sides of the package. Additionally, a plurality of spaced parallel pressure indenta- 3,155,282 Patented Nov. 3, 1964 tion seals 21 are formed in the dispensing end of the package and extend a short distance into the package whereby, when the end of the package is removed at the tear line, open pockets 16 will be produced from which the salt and other material to be dispensed may be distributed as in FIGURE 4.

Other modifications may be made by those skilled in this art without departing from the spirit of this invention, and only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing package for granular material comprising two rectangular fabric sheets, seals extending completely around the sheets near their edges to enclose the granular material, a tear line located near one end of the package, a serrated spacer strip sealed within the fabric sheets at one end of the package and a tear line extending across the serrations of the spacer strip whereby the tearing of the package at the tear line will provide a plurality of control channels through which the granular material may be dispensed.

2. A dispensing package for finely divided granular material which comprises a fiat container having opposite sides of thin fabric sheets completely sealed together at the edges, a thin spacer sheet at one side of the package sealed between the corresponding edges of the fabric sheets, such spacer being provided with a plurality of projections extending inwardly within the package, the

outer edge of the package where the spacer is located being adapted to enable the user to tear off the outer end of the strips and spacer whereby the finely divided material may be discharged in a controlled manner through the spaces between the plurality of projections.

3. A dispensing package for finely divided granular material which comprises a flat container having opposite sides of thin fabric sheets completely sealed together at the edges, a thin spacer sheet at one side of the package sealed between the corresponding edges of the fabric sheets, such spacer being provided with a plurality of projections extending inwardly within the package, the outer edge of the package where the spacer is located being notched to enable the user to tear off the outer end of the strips and spacer, whereby the finely divided material may be discharged in a controlled manner through the spaces between the plurality of projections.

4. A dispensing package for granular material comprising fabric sides sealed to enclose the material, means near and extending along one end of the package providing shallow pockets between said sides, and a tear line located withinthe confines of said means, whereby the shallow pockets become discharge channels when said end of said package is torn ofi along said tear line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,251 Kaplin et al Dec. 4, 1956 2,283,547 Ford May 19, 1942 2,517,027 Rado Aug. 1, 1950 2,705,579 Mason Apr. 5, 1955 2,864,108 Johnson Dec. 16, 1958 2,962,'192 Volckening Nov. 29, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 560,381 Belgium Sept. 14, 1957 

4. A DISPENSING PACKAGE FOR GRANULAR MATERIAL COMPRISING FABRIC SEALED TO ENCLOSE THE MATERIAL, MEANS NEAR AND EXTENDING ALONG ONE END OF THE PACKAGE PROVIDING SHALLOW POCKETS BETWEEN SAID SIDES, AND A TEAR LINE LOCATED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SAID MEANS, WHEREBY THE SHALLOW POCKETS BECOME DISCHARGE CHANNELS WHEN SAID END OF SAID PACKAGE IS TORN OFF ALONG SAID TEAR LINE. 